


now you're in my way

by finalfrontierpioneer



Series: took no time with the fall [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Jughead is oblivious, Not Canon Compliant, POV Jughead Jones, Pining Jughead Jones, all the same tags as pennies & dimes, frenemies to lovers, just so we're all aware, literally 9k of him being confused, my jughead rolls his eyes every 5 lines btw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-07 04:08:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17953310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/finalfrontierpioneer/pseuds/finalfrontierpioneer
Summary: Jughead purports not to like Veronica, but she's always calling his bluff (AKA Jug's POV of pennies & dimes for a kiss!)





	now you're in my way

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MySelflessLove](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MySelflessLove/gifts), [Krewlak](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krewlak/gifts).



> Ask and you shall receive!!!
> 
> MySelflessLove, I definitely wouldn't have written this without you. This is all your idea, so I hope it lives up to your expectations! :D and Krewlak, your enthusiasm made me write a million times faster.
> 
> I've never written a companion fic before, so I do have to say this is literally the same story as pennies & dimes, just from Jug's POV. So the dialogue is exactly the same for the most part, but there are definitely a few differences.

Veronica Lodge makes no sense. Jughead  _hates_ it. And her.

 (Except not her. Not even a little.)

 Point is, Veronica has always been incomprehensible to Jughead. And it’s only gotten worse lately.

 He knows she’s not his biggest fan, and he gets that. She is...so not someone he would ever choose to be friends with. And it’s not like he goes out of his way to make her happy. (Wouldn’t that be pathetic?)

Jughead’s self-aware enough to know that he argues with her so much because he wants her attention. And he _knows_ that in itself is just as pathetic as agreeing with everything she says. But sometimes she’s just plain wrong, and Jughead’s never been one to let that slide. Not even for beautiful, mysterious, dark-haired girls from out of town.

 So Veronica usually has a reason to be irritated with him. And yet. He can’t figure out what he did to piss her off this time. They haven’t had a big argument lately; it’s been business as usual.

 She’s been acting odd lately, and he has no idea why.

The first thing he notices is the staring. Jughead actively tries not to look at Veronica, so he’s not sure when she started.

 He first _notices_ in AP Lit.

 Jughead can’t fault her for zoning out; Mrs. Haggly is no great orator. He himself would be falling asleep if it weren’t for the blinding sunshine in his eyes.

 To be fair, he probably wouldn’t have noticed if he wasn’t hyper aware of her at all times. Jughead can feel her laser focused gaze burning into the side of his face; almost as warm as the sun on the other side.

 He tolerates it for as long as he can before he has to turn and snap at her, “Do you need something? Are you having a stroke?”

 “Don’t flatter yourself, discount Donnie Darko. I’m just…looking out the window,” she glances around shiftily before spitting out an excuse.

 He doesn’t buy it, but whatever. He doesn’t understand her anyway.

 

\----

 

Jughead’s running late. It’s not all that unusual, and really, he’s not that late. He pulls his phone from his pocket and checks the time; homeroom isn’t even over.

 Thank god. His homeroom teacher never takes attendance and he can’t afford another tardy on his record. As long as he makes it to first period on time, he’s golden. Jughead speeds up, slipping his phone back into his pocket and making sure his headphones are still securely plugged in.

 He spots Betty and Veronica up ahead, hanging up Valentine’s Day decorations from the doorways and ceilings. He rolls his eyes. Those things are _gaudy_. Pink and red and _god_ so sparkly. He imagines there’ll be glitter littering the floors for weeks to come. But hey, at least Betty didn’t decide to go with winged cupids.

 He ups his speed and cracks open his chemistry folder to make sure he has the lab write up in there.

 He doesn’t get a chance to confirm. As he’s passing by her ladder, Veronica suddenly loses her balance.

 She teeters for a second, before she’s coming down hard and fast.

 Jughead doesn’t even think, he just reacts instinctively. He drops everything in his hands- his papers go everywhere.

 He doesn’t give a shit.

 The girl of his (very deep, very secret) dreams falls right into his arms. She quite literally knocks the air out of his chest.

 Veronica’s eyes are tightly squeezed shut; he imagines she’s bracing for an impact that never comes. And then, slowly, she’s blinking her big brown eyes up at him.

 She has her arms wrapped around his neck, hands clutching at his collar. He can even feel her fingers brushing against the hair at his nape.

 It’s the closest they’ve ever been.

 He swallows, and readjusts her in his grip, tightening his arms around her back and knees. She responds by tightening her own arms around his neck and gazes up at him.

 It takes a second before she takes notice of her surroundings. “Ohmygod, thank you.”

 He takes that as his cue to gently set her down on the ground. She still looks dazed, and he hesitates to let go of her completely. He leaves one palm resting on the small of her back.

 For once, he has nothing sarcastic or snappy to say to her. “Hey, you good?”

 She blinks up at him in what looks almost like panic. “Um.”

 Before she can get another word out, “Ohmygod, Vee,” Betty’s shouldering her way between them, “Thank God Juggie was here.”

 Betty is waving him off in her usual sweet way, but his attention barely leaves Veronica, even when he bends down to gather his scattered papers.

 She’s watching him, too, but he can’t tell what she’s thinking. Surely this can’t have stoked her ire.

 Maybe she was just irked that her savior hadn’t been some football jock, just him, the poor kid from the trailer park. Maybe she didn’t like being so close to him.

 He scoffs as he made his way down the hallway; she probably wasn’t giving him a second thought.

 

\----

 

By the next day, he’s forgotten all about it. Or at least, pushed it to the back of his mind. He doesn’t forget much when it comes to Veronica Lodge.

 AP Lit begins with the usual bell, but Mrs. Haggly is quick to change the script today. “I hope you all remember my lecture on iambic pentameter from last week,” she begins, “It’s going to come in very handy today, as we’re going to be starting one of Shakespeare’s most well known plays today!”

 There’s a chorus of groans from the class.

 Her excitement doesn’t wane. “Anyone care to venture a guess?”

 Surprise, surprise. Nobody speaks up.

 “Romeo and Juliet!” Mrs. Haggly holds up a copy of the play.“This is a classic. Forbidden love, star crossed lovers,” she lists as she passes the booklets out, “Just in time for Valentine's Day,” she lets out a lovelorn sigh.

 Jughead grimaces. “Cliché much?” he mutters under his breath. Next to him, Veronica snorts in a very unlady-like manner. He hides a smirk, staring down at his desk.

 “And today, we’re going to do something a little different. We’ll be experiencing it together- by putting on the play ourselves!” the teacher looks around at the class, hoping they’ll match her enthusiasm.

 They don’t.

 She pushes onward anyway, asking for volunteers. Jughead keeps his head down, eyes firmly on the cover of the play on his desk.

 Veronica has other ideas. “I wouldn’t figure you for a hater of Shakespeare,” she says loudly, clearly speaking to him.

 His head whips toward her in a panic; what the fuck is she doing? He opens his mouth to shush her, cuss her out, something-

 But it’s too late.

 “Mr. Jones, Ms. Lodge, thank you so much for volunteering to be our Romeo and Juliet! Now come up to the front of the class with your books.”

 He glares at Veronica. She mouths “sorry”, and shoots him an apologetic look that he doesn’t believe for a second.

 He makes his way toward the board as reluctantly as possible.

 As the other roles are filled, and their classmates gradually join them up front, he tries to figure out what her angle here is. It’d be one thing if she’d gotten him volunteered for this, but she’s also managed to get herself up here, too. It doesn’t make any sense.

Jughead rolls his eyes as Mrs. Haggly hands out props. This is utterly ridiculous. They’re not really putting on a play. He doesn’t need a stupid cardboard sword and Veronica doesn’t need any hair accessories.

Although, he thinks grudgingly, she can pull off anything, even that dumb headband.

“To save the rest of you a fight over who gets to be the narrator,” the teacher says sarcastically, “I’ll do it. Now open up your books to Act 1.”

She begins reading the prologue, “Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene…”

Jughead sulks through most of the play. He wouldn’t be anybody’s first choice to play Romeo; he’s surly and awkward. He’s certainly no great actor, and he knows it.

He’s almost embarrassed to act opposite Veronica; she’s been perfect this entire time. It doesn’t surprise him; it’s just another thing about her that irrationally irritates him.

He reluctantly begins their scene, awkwardly clearing his throat, “If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle fine is this: my lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand,” he stutters slightly, “To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.”

She glances up at him from under her lashes, “Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this; for saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss.”

Has she gotten closer? He swears she’s stepped closer.

“Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?” Jughead can’t look away from her.

Veronica licks her lips. “Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.”

Jughead’s hand tightens almost painfully on his script. “O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do;” he manages to get out, “They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.”

She takes a definite step closer to him. He almost steps backward, but she says, “Saints do not move, though grant for prayers’ sake,” as if she’s read his mind.

He gulps audibly, “Then move not, while my prayer’s effect I take. Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged.”

Veronica looks up from her script to meet his gaze head on. He feels instinctively that she’s challenging him, but to what end? All he knows is that he can’t move. His feet are glued to the floor as she takes another step closer.

He nearly leans in to give her the kiss the script calls for. It wouldn’t be hard; her head is tilted up invitingly not even an arm’s length away. Jughead sways forward, leaning in closer-

Only to be stopped by Mrs. Haggly. “Alright, class, this is when they kiss for the first time,” she says loudly. “I won't make you kiss on the lips, no matter how much I want to adhere to the source material,” she sighs again to herself. “Just kiss her cheek, Mr. Jones,” she directs.

Veronica frowns. Surely she isn’t...disappointed? She obligingly tilts her cheek toward him, though, so he leans in and pecks her on the cheek.

Her perfume smells of lilac and vanilla and something else. Something spicier. He wishes he didn’t notice.

He’s glad the next line isn’t his; he’s too lost in his thoughts. Even Veronica has to be prompted for her next line.

“Then have my lips the sin that they have took,” she challenges.

He still has no idea what she wants. But he responds with equal fervor. “Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again.”

Her eyes flick down to his mouth. Jughead swallows.

“Your turn to kiss his cheek, Ms. Lodge,” the teacher interrupts them again.

Jughead lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

Veronica raises an eyebrow at him, and he realizes she can’t reach his cheek unless he helps her out. He smirks and leans down.

She’s no wilting flower, though. Halfway down, she reaches up and takes a firm grasp of his collar. She yanks him down the rest of the way and presses her lips to his cheek. It seems to go on forever.

And then she’s letting go, and he’s stumbling back a step.

Reggie and the other football jock catcall them mockingly. Jughead feels his face flame up in response.

But Veronica soldiers on. She clears her throat, sounding more awkward than she has the whole play, “You kiss by the book.”

And their scene ends.

He allows himself to be shouldered off stage by Ginger and glances down at his script, just to have anywhere else to look other than Veronica.

It’s completely crumpled up. He winces. Mrs. Haggly won’t like that.

Although, he scoffs to himself, she can’t be too disappointed by his performance. It’s just typical. The only time he makes an even mildly believable Romeo is when he’s opposite Veronica.

Too bad it’s not because she makes him a better actor; it’s because he isn’t acting at all.

 

\----

 

Jughead spends a lot of time at Pop’s- he has a usual booth and everything. His usual routine after school is to spend as long as possible working on his novel before heading to the Andrews house.

He still feels guilty taking up so much space there. (And also stupidly, pathetically grateful.)

Not that he’s been getting much done on said novel. His productivity levels have dropped to new lows since Veronica came to town. He should be writing about the mystery of Jason Blossom’s death, and all he wants to write about is the mystery that is Veronica Lodge.

Speak of the devil. It’s as if he’s summoned her: she slides smoothly into the seat across from him.

He forces himself not to look up from his screen. “What do you want?”

“Must I want something? Maybe I’m just here for your scintillating company,” she says, fluttering her eyelashes.

He finally looks at her, just as she’s turning to give her order to Pop Tate. She looks perfectly put together, as per usual. The shine of her dark hair catches his eye; he only just manages to school his expression into something unimpressed by the time she turns back to him.

She caves first, “Okay, fine. I wanted to invite you to Reggie’s party this Saturday.”

 

Yeah, right. “Yeah, sure, because that’s my scene.”

 

“Come on, it’ll be fun! Betty and Archie will be there,” she coaxes.

 

He perks up in mock excitement. “Ooh, a chance to watch my best friends get drunk and handsy with each other, now you’ve really sold it.”

 

She rolls her eyes at him. “Do you ever get tired of playing the grumpy misanthrope?”

 

Jughead has to twist his lips to hide a growing smile, “No.”

 

Her eyes sparkle, not missing his amusement.

 

They are interrupted once again by Pop Tate bringing Veronica’s food to the table. She thanks him before turning back to Jughead.

 

“I suppose all I can say is pretty please, then. And,” she slides her full plate of fries across the table to him, “there’s more where that came from if you come to the party.”

 

Veronica flips her hair over her shoulder and shoots him a smug grin. And then she’s sliding out of the booth, as suddenly and abruptly as she’d arrived.

 

He stares after her, watching her sashay away. He exhales a long breath. Why the fuck does she want him to go to some party?

 

No way in hell is he going, he thinks as he grabs a handful of fries.

 

\----

 

He finds himself walking through the Mantle’s front door around 11. As soon as he walks in, he is bombarded by the thumping bass and writhing bodies of his classmates dancing. God, this is so not his scene.

 

He looks around, a little panicked, for a familiar face, and spots Veronica over in the kitchen. She waves him over, all pink cheeks and sparkling eyes.

 

He leans back against the counter, relieved to be out of the living room. “Where are Archie and  Betty?” he asks her, half to distract himself from the way she’s smiling at him. She’s just tipsy.

 

“Who knows?” she says breezily. She plucks a full solo cup off the counter and hands it to him. Their fingers brush; he fights not to jerk away. Veronica shifts a little closer, (unintentionally?) giving him a clear view down her top. The way she smirks leaves him feeling completely clueless.

 

Someone clears their throat from the doorway. Jughead and Veronica both jolt at the sound.

 

Because the universe clearly hates him, it’s Cheryl Blossom.

 

“There you are, Veronica! I’ve been looking for you- we’re about to start a rousing game of seven minutes in heaven. I _know_ you wouldn’t want to miss out on that,” Cheryl ignores Jughead completely.

 

It’s no skin off his back. To be honest, he prefers that to the alternative. He takes a tentative sip of the drink in his hand.

 

Shit, that’s strong.

 

“No thanks, Cheryl. I’m good here.” Veronica says, completely surprising both him and Cheryl.

 

Cheryl finally turns a derisive glare on Jughead. “Ugh, really?”

 

Jughead just holds up his hands in surrender. Cheryl narrows her eyes at him.

 

“Well, I’m not taking no for an answer,” she grabs a hold of Veronica’s wrist and begins to drag her from the room.

 

Jughead rolls his eyes, not at all surprised that neither of them actually said goodbye. Story of his life.

 

Now, wasn’t there food around here somewhere?

 

“Are you coming, hobo?” Jughead does a double take. Cheryl’s actually talking to him.

 

Veronica pouts at him pleadingly. It’s like fucking kryptonite. He looks to the ceiling for some form of divine intervention before accepting defeat. He sighs and chugs his entire cup of punch. (He has to suppress a wince.)

 

“Alright, lead the way Cheryl.”

 

When they unsteadily clomp their way down the stairs into the basement, he finds his missing best friends.

 

“Juggie! You came!” He immediately has his arms full of Betty.

 

“Yeah, Betts,” he allows her to sloppily kiss his cheek. She’s so drunk. He grins. He’s never seen straight A perfect Betty Cooper drunk before.

 

Betty sways back tipsily and plops herself next to Archie on the couch. There’s almost no space between them. He raises an eyebrow, but refrains from commenting, mostly because Veronica pulls him roughly onto that same couch with her before he can open his mouth.

 

So Jughead just nods at Archie in greeting and keeps his mouth shut.

 

Cheryl clears her throat from where she’s positioned herself in the center of the room. “Now that we’ve got a full room, I say it’s time for some party games- how about a little seven minutes in heaven?” Cheryl claps her hands excitedly.

 

If he thought Cheryl would let him, Jughead would get up and leave right now. As it is, he’s trapped between Veronica and the arm of the couch.

 

Veronica shifts next to him, speaking up, “Cheryl, we played that at your party. How about we play something a little less...overdone?”

 

If looks could kill, Veronica would be toast. The full force of Cheryl Blossom’s glare is nothing to be reckoned with. Jughead almost shrinks back from it, and she’s not even looking at him.

 

Though she’s clearly not happy, Cheryl, of course, retains control of the situation. “Fine. What do you suggest, then?”

 

It’s like he feels Veronica’s words, rather than hears them, she’s pressed up against him so closely. “How about a game of suck and blow?”

 

Jughead chokes on air. Veronica saying those words is going to be imprinted in his mind for years to come.

 

He doesn’t pay much attention to what happens next, but obviously Cheryl decides that’s juicy enough for her, because he finds himself sitting on the floor between Veronica and Betty listening to Cheryl explain the rules.

 

She holds up the queen of hearts from the deck Reggie had eagerly fetched for her, “Now, this game is pretty self explanatory, clearly we’ll pass this card around the circle using just our mouths- sucking and blowing,” she says lewdly. It doesn’t have nearly the same impact on Jughead as hearing Veronica say the words. “Does anybody have any questions?”

 

Veronica impatiently waves her on, “We’ve all seen Clueless, Cheryl, get on with it.”

 

“Fine,” Cheryl glares at Veronica once more. “I’ll start,” Cheryl presses the playing card to her blood red lips and bends down to pass it to Reggie. Because it’s Cheryl, and because it’s Reggie, they milk it for all it’s worth. It’s practically inappropriate, and their lips aren’t even touching.

 

Jughead rolls his eyes and looks away. He needs way more alcohol.

 

As the card gets closer, he realizes Veronica’s going to be the one to pass it to him. His anxiety shoots through the roof. God, she turns him into such a mess.

 

Their drunken classmates continue passing the card, surprisingly not dropping it. It’s a stupid party game, and yet he can’t stop thinking about what it might feel like to have Veronica’s lips pressed against his own, even through a playing card.

 

Because there’s no way Jughead’s going to drop the playing card and kiss her for real in front of all their classmates. He might be sorely tempted, but he doesn’t want to see the look on her face after.

 

Soon enough, Chuck Clayton is passing Veronica the playing card. She leans forward eagerly. Jughead frowns; of course Veronica’s into Chuck.

 

He’s about to look away when the unthinkable, yet entirely predictable happens. Chuck drops the card.

 

Their mouths collide to the soundtrack of a screeching trainwreck in Jughead’s mind. It’s an aggressive and sloppy kiss; Jughead grimaces at the sight of it.

 

Veronica shoves Chuck off, but the damage has been done. The circle has already exploded into hooting and laughs.

 

Jughead can’t look at Veronica and Chuck anymore. He turns away, searching for literally anything else to look at. There’s not much, unless he wants to watch Betty and Archie cuddle.

 

His savior comes in the form of Kevin bursting through the basement door in a blind panic.

 

“My dad’s here!” he yells.

 

Shit. Everyone panics, scrambling for an exit. Nobody wants to be caught by Sheriff Keller.

 

Archie springs to his feet, pulling Betty up with him. Jughead doesn’t think about it, he just follows them to Archie’s pickup. Veronica and Kevin are close behind.

 

Jughead snatches Archie’s keys from him when they’re offered; there’s no debate that he’s obviously the most sober one here. They throw themselves into the cab and he guns it.

 

Jughead only sighs in relief when he’s pulling into the Andrews’ driveway after dropping Veronica and Kevin off.

 

What a fucking night.

 

\----

 

Archie and Kevin regale Jughead with the stories of their nights at the party before he got there.

 

Dancing with Betty and making out with Moose aren’t exactly his idea of a good time, so he can’t say he regrets arriving fashionably late. He kind of wishes he hadn’t showed up at all; he wishes he could erase the image of Veronica and Chuck kissing from his memory.

Still, he nods along and mocks the other boys in the appropriate places.

When Veronica sits down across from him at lunch, he expects her to join in.

She doesn’t; she doesn’t even actually say anything. She hands each of them a $10 bill, unprompted.

“Why are you just handing out money?” he narrows his eyes at her. She has to have an ulterior motive.

And of course, she does. “Well, it actually isn’t for you. I need all of you to use that money at the kissing booth tomorrow,” Veronica says, as if there’s no question they’ll do as she asks.

“Wait, so you’re paying us...to pay you..to kiss you?” Archie says, still confused.

“Not me specifically,” Veronica shakes her head. “It’s just...I want this fundraiser to be a success, and we need the bodies in line.”

Jughead rolls his eyes; of course it’s going to be a success. Every guy in this school would line up to kiss Veronica.

Still, the price seems a little steep. “The Vixens are charging $10 a kiss?” He crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow at her. “Wow, you all certainly think highly of yourselves.”

“No,” she draws out the word, “they’re $5 each. So that’ll buy you two,” she winks and smiles brightly at him.

He studies her face, but she doesn’t drop her innocent facade. So he drops it instead, and just shrugs. Who is he to question the inner workings of Veronica Lodge’s brain?

Jughead goes back to his lunch while Kevin and Archie agree to Veronica’s scheme. Typically, the former requires more convincing than the latter. Archie’s always been susceptible to a pretty face, Jughead muses.

He takes a huge bite of his burger just as Veronica turns to him. “And you?” she asks expectantly.

Jughead swallows as fast as he can, “You’re serious?”

“As a heart attack.” He’s not surprised. Once Veronica commits to an idea, she _commits_. Unfortunately, that’s something he respects about her.

“Fine,” he caves. “You know one of these days one of us is going to say no to your ridiculous demands,” he points out. It probably won’t be him- Veronica says jump, Jughead makes a big show of rolling his eyes and scowling, Jughead ends up doing whatever she wants.

She smirks. “But not today.”

 

\----

 

And not Tuesday either.

The $10 is burning a hole in his pocket, but he can’t stop checking to make sure it’s still there. He can’t believe he’s about to kiss Veronica. Sure, it’s a kissing booth, so that doesn’t count, but...it’s Veronica.

Jughead takes a deep breath at his locker before finally gathering his courage. Class ran late, so he needs to hurry the fuck up. He slams his locker shut and turns to head to lunch.

He runs smack into Ethel Muggs. Luckily, she doesn’t drop the books in her arms.

“Oh shit, sorry,” he mumbles out a quick apology before continuing on his way.

Archie waves at him from down the hallway and pauses to wait for him.

“Wait, Jughead!” Ethel reaches out and grabs his arm.

He turns to her in confusion. “Yeah?”

She blushes. “I actually wanted to talk to you.”

“Oh, uh,”Jughead looks around at the now empty hallway, “Okay.” He’d catch up with Archie at lunch.

She shuffles her feet awkwardly. He stares at her, waiting.

Ethel smiles shyly, “Do you, um, do you have any plans for Valentine’s Day?”

His brow furrows in confusion. “No,” Jughead says bluntly. His patience can only be stretched so thin.

She wilts a little, and part of Jughead feels bad. He sighs and takes pity on her, “Do you?” He glances around her toward the door to the courtyard. Veronica’s already out there, probably with a huge line at her booth. And if he wants to get that over with and still have time to eat, Ethel needs to hurry this up.

Ethel immediately perks up, bouncing on her heels. “Nope, I’m totally free!”

There’s an awkward lull in the conversation. She stares at him expectantly, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

Jughead clears his throat and jerks his chin toward the exit, “Well, I gotta-”

“Do you wanna go out sometime?” she blurts.

Jughead’s eyes widen in shock. “What?”

Ethel looks panicked. “I mean-”

“Ethel-” They both start speaking at the same time.

She wraps her arms tighter around her books, hugging them to her like a shield, and gestures for him to go first.

“I’m really...flattered,” he stutters out, “but um, I’m not...interested in you...like that.”

Ethel swallows. “Oh.” She deflates visibly in front of him.

“I’m sorry!” he blurts.

“It’s- it’s fine,” she waves her hand dismissively. “Um, can we maybe just...pretend this never happened?”

He hopes his sigh of relief isn’t too audible. “We can do that.”

She practically flees.

 

\----

 

By the time he makes it out to the courtyard, Betty and Ginger are the ones working the booth. He hates to blame Ethel, but he blames Ethel.

He frowns. He still has the $10 Veronica gave him, she probably didn’t actually want him to get in _her_ line, just to spend it at the booth.

Plus, she’ll be irritated if he doesn’t do as she asked and spend the money.

Betty looks frustrated when he gets to the front of her line. There’s not a hair out of place in her ponytail, but her smile is stretched entirely too thin.

“Thank god it’s you,” she groans in relief.

“Long day?” he jokes, handing her the $10.

“I think romance might actually be dead,” she looks at the line behind him meaningfully.

“I can’t disagree with you there, Betts,” he says, thinking back to Chuck and Veronica’s hardly romantic kiss.

The guy behind him clears his throat.

Betty looks embarrassed, “Well, I guess that’s our cue.” She leans forward over the table and beckons for him to do the same.

He leans in to plant a kiss on her lips. As far as kisses go, it’s fine, but it feels mildly like kissing Jellybean. They both pull away a little too quickly; Betty coughs awkwardly. Jughead guesses he’s not exactly who she dreams of kissing- anybody with two eyes could figure that one out.

Not that he’s offended; Betty certainly doesn’t feature in his dreams.

The girl haunting _his_ dreams is apparently haunting him in real life too. Veronica’s sitting next to Kevin when Jughead finally gets to sit down and enjoy his lunch.

She looks pissed, so Jughead exercises a rare bit of restraint and keeps his mouth shut.

“So?” Veronica asks.

Jughead looks toward Kevin in confusion, but he just shrugs and takes a bite of his yogurt.

“So...what?”

“I saw you made your way to the kissing booth,” she says snidely.

“Yes, Elvira, I did your bidding. The River Vixens’ fundraiser is $10 richer,” he snarks.

She glares at him. “Do you really think kissing Betty is a good idea? I mean, everyone knows she and Archie are going to get together when he pulls his head out of his ass,” Veronica snaps.

Jughead freezes. “It was just a peck; it’s not like I declared my love for her,” he explains slowly.

“Well...I just think it’s a little déclassé,” she retorts, examining her manicure.

Jughead throws his hands up, ““Veronica, _you're_ the one who told me to go up there!”

“I did _not_ tell you to go up there and kiss _Betty_!” she all but yells, leaning across the table and getting right up in his face.

It starts to dawn on her that she’s overreacted, “I mean-”

Jughead’s not having it. “You know what, I don’t have to deal with this.” He snatches his bag and storms off.

Fuck her.

 

\----

 

Jughead avoids Veronica for the rest of the day. He suspects he only gets away with it because she lets him, if he’s being honest. They might not be bffs, but their own best friends are. Not seeing her is a medal-worthy achievement.

And apparently their best friends are now dating.

Jughead shouldn’t be surprised when Archie tells him, but he kind of is. He always assumed they would just pine after each other forever.

In celebration, they spend all day Saturday playing video games.

It’s hilarious how often Archie keeps checking his phone, but Jughead refrains from mocking him too much. After all, Betty’s his best friend too.

Archie finally tosses his phone down on his bed. Jughead grins. Finally, he’s getting back into the game.

Instead, Archie hits the pause button.

“Hey man, can I ask you for a favor?” Archie begins hesitantly.

“Yeah, sure.” How can Jughead say no? Archie and his dad have been a godsend. Anyway he can pay Archie back, he will.

Archie rubs at the back of his neck, “Will you go to the drive in with me and Betty tonight?”

Jughead chokes on the soda he’s just taken a huge swig of, “Excuse me?”

Archie laughs, “No, no, no, not like _just_ me and Betty.”

Jughead narrows his eyes in suspicion. Archie’s too cheery about inviting another person on his first date with Betty.

Archie explains, “Betty asked if Veronica could come along and we could make this more of a...double date?”

“You want me to go on a _date_ with Veronica?” Jughead asks in sheer disbelief.

“Well, not like a _date_ date. Betty asked Kevin first, but he’s busy,” Archie explains.

“I don’t think Veronica’s going to appreciate having only me to talk to while you and Betty make out.”

Archie has the good graces to blush at that. “Please? I really want this to go well. We’ll be watching a movie, you won’t even have to talk to each other.”

Jughead groans. Archie’s being reasonable and logical, so there’s no way Jughead can refuse without sounding like an ass.

“Does Veronica know I’m coming?”

“I’m sure Betty’ll tell her,” Archie says with a shrug.

 

\----

 

Betty doesn’t tell her. Jughead can tell she’s completely caught off guard by his presence on the Cooper’s porch.

He flounders while Betty and Archie blushingly greet each other. He’s got no idea what to say to her.

“Nice cape, Emily the Strange,” he blurts out. Fuck. He winces.

Veronica huffs and shoves past him, following Archie and Betty to the pickup.

Great start.

 

\----

 

The date turns out exactly like Jughead thought it would.

Betty and Archie are making out within the first half hour. It figures- Casablanca doesn’t really seems like a movie his best friends would be enthralled by. They’re much more interested in each other.

Not that he can blame them. He can barely follow the plot with Veronica pressed up against him from thigh to shoulder. Jughead tries to shift away, but there’s no room in the bed of Archie’s truck.

He catches a glimpse of Betty climbing into Archie’s lap out of the corner of his eye. Ugh.

Jughead must make a noise, because Veronica flicks her eyes toward him and their eyes meet.

His breath catches in his throat. She’s so close. Too close. Veronica just overwhelms him.

Jughead can’t take it anymore. “Alright, this is too much for me,” he surges to his feet, setting the truck rocking on its shocks, “I’m out.” He practically throws himself over the side of the bed.

He hears Betty call after him, but he just waves her off. If they want to make out, that’s their business. He doesn’t have to watch.

 

\----

 

Jughead thinks he hears Veronica call his name as he’s making his way toward the concession stand, but he doesn’t slow. He makes it all the way to the ladder to the roof before he pauses.

Is he really going to leave Veronica alone third-wheeling with Archie and Betty? Jughead might be an ass, but he does have a heart. At least, when it comes to her he does.

Jughead rolls his eyes at himself and turns back around to suffer through the rest of the movie.

He spots Veronica sitting alone on a bench as soon as he rounds the corner. He pauses. She must have taken her own chance to ditch the happy couple, but she looks miserable. She’s got her head in her hands and she’s just staring at the ground.

Jughead looks around, but no one’s paying attention to her. And he can’t just leave her there. He takes a deep breath and strides toward the bench.

“Hey,” he says, awkwardly tucking his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

She blinks up at him in surprise, “Hey!” Veronica actually looks happy to see him. “You came back.”

He shrugs as if it’s nothing, “Well, I felt bad leaving you with those two, sucking face,” he grimaces for emphasis.

“You...actually felt bad for me?” she raises one perfect eyebrow skeptically.

“Don’t dwell on it,” he says shortly. Jughead looks anywhere but her, sure his eyes are revealing too much of his true feelings.

Veronica sneers at that. She raises her chin in defiance, and pointedly cranes her neck to see the screen behind him, “Well, if you’re done, you’re in the way. I can’t see the screen.”

Jughead sighs before offering her his hand. “You want a better view?”

She’s suspicious, which should offend him, but doesn’t, “Is it gonna cost me?”

He almost laughs. “Not this time, Richie Rich. Just come on.” He shoves his hand closer to her and gestures for her to take it.

Veronica finally reaches out and takes it. He pulls her along behind him, retracing his steps from earlier.

“Whoa, whoa. Are you luring me back here to murder me?” She jokes, pulling back in his grip.

He grins and yanks her forward in retaliation, “If I am, it’s too late for you.”

They reach the ladder to the roof, but there’s a slight problem. Jughead takes the opportunity to track his eyes down her figure to her feet.

He gently bumps her (likely very expensive) heel with his (definitely very cheap) sneaker. “You’re gonna need to take these off.”

Jughead doesn’t wait to see if she will, he just climbs up to the top and waits for her there. He grins in satisfaction when she starts up the ladder.

Though this isn’t actually a date, Jughead can’t help himself. He reaches for her hand once again to help her dismount once she reaches the top. He even lays his denim jacket on the ground for her to sit on.

Of course, he frames it in his usual sarcastic way, “Your throne, your highness.” He gives her a mocking bow.

There’s no trace of sarcasm in her answering smile. He doesn’t bother fighting his own grin as he plops himself down next to her.

They sit there in surprisingly companionable silence while the movie plays on.

And then Veronica clears her throat. “Hey, so I realize there’s something that I need to say.”

Jughead turns to face her.

Veronica pointedly avoids his eyes. “I’m really sorry for freaking out on you at lunch the other day. I should have thanked you, and I totally flipped out. I was just...having an off day,” she spits out quickly.

Yeah, right. He scoffs. “You were having an off day? Veronica, you’ve been acting weird for weeks.”

She winces. “So maybe I’ve been having an off month.”

Jughead doesn’t believe that for a second. “Veronica Lodge, having an off month? You’ve never even had a bad hair day.”

“Is there any chance you’re willing to suppress your disbelief and just leave it?” she asks hopefully.

“No way!” He turns his body to face her completely. “Now that I know there’s a mystery to be had, I’m not dropping it until you tell me.”

“You’re going to laugh,” Veronica warns him, “Or run away screaming,” she says as an afterthought.

“Try me,” he challenges.

She looks him in the eye for the first time since she apologized. “Promise not to freak out?”

He huffs. “I promise. Come on, just spit it out.”

“Ethel’s my lab partner!” she blurts out, wide eyed.

...Okay. He already knows this, but he has no idea what it has to do with anything. “I have...no idea what that means. Is that a euphemism?”

“No!” Veronica snaps. “Ethel _likes_ you.” she says slowly.

“Yes…” he drags out the word, “She told me.” He’d rather not remember that horribly embarrassing encounter. “What does that have to do with you?”

“No, listen, she planted these ideas in my head. And now I can’t get them out,” she pulls her fingers roughly through her hair in frustration. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

He stares at her blankly, “Not even a little.”

“She just...she wouldn’t stop _talking_ about you. Every goddamn day I had to hear about your various...attributes and how perfect you were,” Veronica flings her hand in sweeping gesture at him.

“And...that made you...mad...at me?” Jughead asks hesitantly.

“No!” she bites out, “Ugh, it’s like you’re not listening to me.”

“Believe me, I _am_ listening,” he snaps right back, unable to ignore the slight. “You’re not making any sense.”

Veronica groans and buries her face into her hands. “She made me _want_ you.”

Jughead freezes. There’s no way he heard that right. “Come again?”

“I can’t stop thinking about kissing you,” she says, voice muffled by her hands.

Jughead almost pinches himself. Is he dreaming?

He reaches over and pulls her hands away from her face, “You’re serious?” He keeps a hold of her hands as he searches her face for any hint of dishonesty.

She doesn’t pull her hands away, but she turns her face away from him, “Are you gonna run away from me like you dodged Ethel? Because I don’t think my ego could take that.” Veronica lets out a watery laugh.

Jughead snorts, “You know, for someone so smart, you’re really stupid.”

“Excuse me?” Veronica tries to yank her hands away, but he holds on tight.

“Veronica, you drive me fucking crazy,” he laughs.

She pushes him away, finally freeing her hands. “Well, I’m sorry to have bothered you,” she says, wounded. She makes to flee.

He frantically grasps at any part of her he can reach, catching the edge of her cape in his fingertips. “No, now _you're_ not understanding,” he pleads.

Veronica pauses, giving him a chance to explain.

Jughead blurts, “I can’t figure you out!”

She turns to stare at him, face still guarded.

He swallows, “You kiss Archie, and then refuse to date him. You were supposed to be this ultra mean girl from the city but then you helped Betty make it onto the cheerleading squad and became her best friend. You manage to scare Cheryl Blossom and yet, don’t scare people like Ethel at all. I think you’re one thing, and then you’re the other.” He takes a deep breath.

She opens her mouth, but he raises a hand to stop her. He’s not done word vomiting his feelings at her.

“But the thing is," he says quietly, "I think I’ve wanted you since I first saw you, that night at Pop’s. I just didn’t want to admit it.”

Veronica gasps, eyes darting about his face, “But you never said-”

“And why would I? I may not...know girls,” he admits a little self-deprecatingly, “but even I knew you would never have given me the time of day,” he shrugs.

“You act like you find my very presence a nuisance,” she points out.

“Wanting you and yet not wanting to want you has been very trying, okay?” he admits. “So there’s all my cards on the table,” he falls silent and waits for her to expand on her feelings for him.

She hesitates at first, “I...didn’t want to want you either. I thought you were this pretentious ass. Still kinda do,” she says with a smirk. Which immediately turns contemplative, “But if I’m not the things you originally thought, then you’re not either. You purport to be an outsider, but your two best friends are a football player and a cheerleader. And you’re the one people turn to when they want the brutal truth, but yet Ethel Muggs, who gets bullied every day, felt safe revealing her feelings to you.”

Veronica tilts her head and smiles shyly at him. “We can both contain multitudes, Jughead Jones.”

He knows his face is doing something stupid, but he doesn’t care. “Do your multitudes still include wanting to kiss me?” he asks hopefully.

She blushes and her smile blooms even wider than before, “Even more than before.”

Jughead eagerly leans forward and cups her jaw. She pushes into his hand, meeting him halfway.

He hesitates. Is he really about to kiss Veronica Lodge? This is too good to be true. His mind races as fast as his heart.

And then she bites her bottom lip, and he isn’t thinking anymore. He surges forward to press their lips together.

The kiss is chaste, but Veronica gasps underneath his mouth. He draws back, suddenly unsure.

He doesn’t get far. She follows him. He can’t help the flicker of his eyes down to her lips. Then they’re kissing again.

He doesn’t know who initiated it this time, but he throws himself into it. He wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her closer. She grins against his lips and threads her fingers through his hair. (She knocks his beanie off, and he doesn’t even care, he’s so gone for her.)

She licks her way into his mouth, swallowing down his answering groan. He gives as good as he gets, gently biting down on her bottom lip in retaliation.

That spurs her on. She gives his hair a sharp tug and slides her hands down to his collar, winding her arms around his neck and pulling herself into his lap.

But she doesn’t quite make it. She slips, and almost pulls him off the roof with her.

He acts on reflex, yanking her back with what is probably excessive force. He falls back, taking her with him.

Then he’s laying on his back on the roof, fingers clamped down on Veronica’s waist with bruising force. She’s nearly choking him with the grip she has on his neck.

She rolls off and they just lay there for a second. And then they burst into laughter.

“Shit, that would’ve been so embarrassing,” she gasps out through giggles.

“I can’t believe you almost fell off the roof!”

She punches him on the shoulder in mock offense. “Shut up! I was distracted.”

He just yanks her back in to distract her some more.

 

\----

 

When Jughead walks into school on Monday, everybody is exchanging flowers, candy, and cards.

Shit. Jughead forgot today was Valentine’s Day.

He’s been on cloud nine since Saturday night at the drive in, but that also means he’s been completely distracted.

He can’t do nothing; he’s not _that_ stupid. But flowers and candy just seems...impersonal. Jughead doesn’t have much experience with girls, so he consults someone who does.

“Hey man, so what’d you do for Betty for Valentine’s Day?” Jughead corners Archie at his locker before first period.

Archie blinks, surprised by the question coming from Jughead of all people, “Oh, uh, I sent her a candygram.”

Jughead frowns as he considers it. Honestly, that sounds lame.

He goes to Betty next. He's going to make himself late to math, but this takes priority.

“So say, hypothetically, that someone maybe wanted to do something for Veronica for Valentine's Day,” he starts off.

Betty gives him a knowing look. “Is that someone you?”

“Hypothetically,” he hedges.

Betty beams at him. “I knew it! You two looked way too cozy after the movie Saturday.”

Jughead fights a smile at Betty's enthusiasm. He's on a mission here. “So?”

“Well,” Betty tilts her head, considering, “She doesn't want candy or flowers.” Betty frowns, “Actually, she really didn't seem all that enthusiastic about Valentine's Day in general.”

Great. Again, not helpful.

He stresses about what to do all morning. Is Veronica even expecting him to do something? He certainly can’t afford the kind of luxuries she’s used to, should he even bother?

By the time lunch time rolls around, he’s still got nothing.

Jughead slinks to the lunch table, hoping he’ll have a burst of inspiration once he sees Veronica.

She's not there, though.

Kevin and Betty are. Their heads are huddled close together; Jughead can guess what they're gossiping about. He rolls his eyes.

Jughead clears his throat loudly as he drops his messenger bag onto the bench across from them and then drops himself right next to it.

Kevin and Betty hurriedly jerk away from each other. Once they see it's him, though, they smirk.

Jughead scowls, “Where's Veronica?” He might as well not beat around the bush; they already know.

Betty points behind him, trying and failing to school her features into something less smug. “She took my shift at the booth,” Betty explains.

Jughead swings around, searching for Veronica. She’s working the booth, like Betty said, and just like Jughead predicted, her line’s miles long. He frowns. He’s not jealous- not even a blind man could mistake the expression on her face for any sort of pleasure- but he does feel a twinge of something.

And then it hits him. This is actually a perfect solution to his problem.

He can’t afford the luxuries Veronica is used to- but he can make his feelings for her clear. And, he admits, if this backfires on him, it can be played off as just participating in the fundraiser.

Jughead unfolds himself from the bench, bumping right into Archie, who’s just arriving. He almost knocks the tray of food out of Archie’s arms.

“Whoa, dude, what’s your hurry?” Archie laughs.

Jughead doesn’t bother explaining himself, he just gives Archie a salute hello before he’s weaving through the lunch tables to get in Veronica’s line.

He immediately feels self conscious. But he doesn’t waver; he sticks it out.

Thankfully, the line seems to be moving quickly. The kisses Veronica’s giving out must be the shortest of kisses. That at least settles the uncomfortable feeling in his chest.

When he finally makes it to the front of the line, Veronica’s not even looking his way.

“I’m closed, you’ll have to wait for Cheryl to get back,” she says while taking a huge swig from her water bottle.

“I’d really rather not,” he snarks.

She whips back around. “Jughead!” He can understand her shock at seeing him here; he almost can’t believe it either.

He smiles hesitantly. She beams in response.

Jugheads clears his throat, emboldened by her smile, “So, I heard you’re only charging $5 a kiss.”

“That is correct,” she raises an eyebrow.

Jughead leans forward conspiratorially, “Well, I have to tell you, based on my experience, I think you’re undercharging.”

Veronica smirks.  “Oh, really? And just how much should I be charging?”

He shakes his head in mock seriousness. “Oh, more than I can afford. But…” he pulls a crumpled $20 bill from his back pocket and slaps it down on the table. “This is all I can afford right now.” It really is all he can afford. It’s all he has, period. “How much will this get me?”

Veronica’s eyes flicker down to the money before she’s glancing back up at him. Oh. There’s that challenge again. Now he gets it.

She delicately picks up the bill between her first two fingers and leans all the way across the table to tuck it back in the front pocket of his jeans. He raises an eyebrow at her daring.

Veronica doesn’t lean back; she stays firmly in his personal space. She hooks a finger in his belt loop and tugs on it teasingly, “Oh, Torombolo,” she sighs, eyes on his lips, “your money’s no good here.”

She slides a hand brazenly up his chest and hooks a perfectly manicured finger in the collar of his t-shirt. “This one’s on the house.” And then she pulls him in for a kiss.

He goes eagerly and willingly. Jughead wraps a hand around the back of her neck, thumbing at the hinge of her jaw. He feels her smirk before she’s wrapping her arms around his neck and slipping her tongue between his lips.

He wraps a fist in her hair and tugs sharply, once, in retaliation. She gasps into his mouth, and realizes abruptly that he’s going to have a very _visible_ problem if they don’t stop now.

She must realize that they’re getting too heated at the same time. The kiss softens until it’s just a press of lips.

They pull away at the same time. The sight of Veronica, dazed and lips kiss-bitten, almost does him in.

But he manages to extricate himself and smiles widely at her. “Happy Valentine’s Day.” He flees back to the lunch table before he can embarrass himself by doing something stupid like pulling her entirely over the table and kissing that dazed look off her face.

When he gets back, Archie, Kevin, and Betty are staring at him with wide eyes and gaping mouths.

“What?” he snaps. Or, tries to snap. He’s still grinning.

“Dude, your face,” Archie says, gesturing to his mouth.

Jughead frantically wipes at his mouth. “What is it? Have I got something on my face?”

Archie grins, “Yeah, there’s something on your face. I think it’s...a smile? I’ve never seen one of those on your face before,” he bursts into laughter.

Betty giggles behind her hand. Kevin doesn’t bother hiding his chuckles. Jughead rolls his eyes fondly at his friends. He can’t even be mad.

Jughead does reach over to steal Archie’s unopened water bottle as payback.

Kevin leans forward, “You actually do have some, uh, lip gloss on your face though.”

Jughead chokes and wipes at his mouth with his sleeve again. He shoots the other three a dark look as that sets off their laughter again.

“Let me get that for you,” Veronica slides onto the bench next to him. Before anyone can say a word, she leans in and plants a firm kiss hello on his lips.

Jughead blinks.

She tilts her head at him, considering, “Well, maybe that was counterproductive,” she smirks.

Jughead narrows his eyes at her and twists the corners of his mouth down exaggeratedly. Veronica just slides closer on the bench, practically plastering herself against his side. He wraps an arm around her shoulders, making a show of keeping his expression grumpy.

“This is...super fucking weird,” Archie blurts.

Veronica catches Jughead’s eye and they burst into laughter.

“Really?” Veronica asks, stealing Archie’s water bottle from Jughead. He lets her. “I think it actually makes a lot of sense if you think about it.” She takes a dainty sip.

Kevin and Betty exchange a smug look, while Archie just looks at Veronica dubiously. “But you’re so _different_.”

Veronica gives Jughead a considering look. “Are we?”

Jughead tilts his nose up in the air and says loftily and slightly mockingly, echoing Veronica’s words from Saturday night, “We contain multitudes, Archie.”

That startles a bright laugh out of Veronica. She twists under his arm to lean in and press a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

“Alright, alright, enough about the odd couple- doesn’t anyone care how _my_ Saturday night went?” Kevin interjects.

Just like that, the shock and awe Jughead expected from their friends dissipates. Archie and Betty are wrapped up in each other literally and figuratively, fingers intertwined on the table. And Kevin’s energetically recounting his date with Moose to Veronica.

Apparently nobody else is as shocked as Jughead that Veronica has feelings for him.

He smiles softly and boldly wraps a strand of her soft black hair around his index finger. She doesn’t pause in her conversation with Kevin, but her cheeks pinken up.

Well, he might have been slow on the uptake, but he’s sure as hell not confused anymore.  

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed!!!


End file.
